The employer has officially put a number on the table for a wage increase — with little to no wiggle room.
I believe this deserves a drum roll… a staggering 0 to 1% increase.
Meanwhile, Barb Nederpel, HEU President, and Lynn Bueckert, Secretary-Business Manager and head of the bargaining committee, gave themselves a 28% raise. I assume Betty Valenzuela, Financial Secretary, received the same.
The approximately 244 employees of HEU last year received the following wage increases:
Let that sink in: while members are offered scraps, your leadership and their staff are quietly cashing in—on your dues.HEU spent $470,401 of members’ money on political advertising alone to help elect the NDP. In 2022, Barb Nederpel sat—and may still sit—on the Provincial Executive of the BC NDP. Bal Sandhu, a member of HEU’s Provincial Executive, is married to NDP MLA Harwinder Sandhu, who has represented Vernon since 2020. These aren’t just connections—they're entanglements.
So how is this not a conflict of interest—or at the very least, a serious ethical breach?The real question isn’t whether members are willing to strike—they are.The question is: how will HEU leadership deal with it, and whose interests are they truly serving?HEU and the NDP working together again.
First, they colluded to keep the public health orders in place for over four years, while the unions raked in tens of millions in savings—as long-term members were terminated, forced into early retirement, and many left the province entirely.Now that the money has run out, leadership will be using its staff representatives—who make $70.35 an hour —to convince you that the NDP government has no choice because of the billions in debt, and of course, it’s all because of the
tariffs.
Same faces. Same excuses. Same betrayal.
FYI: Every one of the 244 staff members at the Hospital Employees’ Union receives an annual $1,100 clothing allowance—indexed to inflation. All staff representatives also receive a vehicle allowance that covers both business and personal use. This includes full insurance coverage, gas—even while on vacation, sick leave, or other absences—$50/month for maintenance with no receipts required, and brand-new winter tires every three years.
Barb Nederpel, President, sits on the executive of the NDP. Bal Sandhu, Provincial Executive member, is married to Harwinder Sandhu, an NDP MLA — a blatant conflict of interest. Meanwhile, HEU gives more money to the NDP than all other unions combined and receives the least in return.
The NDP will be giving HEU members the smallest raise of any union, while HEU leadership — Barb Nederpel, Lynn Bueckert, Secretary-Business Manager, and Betty Valenzuela, Financial Secretary — quietly gave themselves a 28% raise.
HEU leadership breached the HEU Constitution by exceeding the political action funding limit of $375,000, spending $470,401 on advertising alone to get the NDP re-elected in October 2024. It will be the members who pay the price when the NDP loses power — and I am working to ensure the opposition passes legislation to punish the leadership of all public sector unions for these abuses, not the members who trusted them.
I urge every member to call and send emails to the Provincial Executive demanding an immediate end to political action and a stop to the reckless waste of member funds. Those funds should be used for what unions are supposed to do: represent the workers who pay their salaries.
True leadership gets along with all, for the benefit of the membership — but Barb is only looking out for herself. When it comes to politics, there is no left or right — it’s just me, myself, and Irene… or in HEU’s case, Barbara.
HEU leadership has engaged in election tampering, awarded themselves massive salary increases, and funneled nearly half million dollars of our dues into political campaigns—without any meaningful gains for frontline workers.
"I received a response through the website from a shop steward at a care home in Langley. She told me the members she represents have given up on HEU. Their staff rep lives in Harrison Hot Springs, is impossible to get a hold of, and insists on emails instead of phone calls. Every issue gets brushed off with the same line: “The employer has the right to manage."
Her excuse? She has too many job sites to cover."
"We have the same problem at RJH Victoria. I went to the last meeting via zoom and again they can't meet quorum Why? Because no one has Any Faith in our Union. They are Done with never getting any help. There's talk of walking away from the Union and joining another (if that's possible?) it's not good in Victoria and getting worse. "
SOLUTION:
It's time HEU stops wasting money on political action and starts using those resources to actually serve its members.
Dear HEU Members,
Your friends at the Hospital Employees' Union (HEU) leadership spent $470,401 of union members’ dues—on advertising alone—to help elect the NDP government. Rather than accepting responsibility for their role in BC’s worsening healthcare crisis, they now hypocritically blame the federal government for changes to the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), pretending this is the root cause of the province’s health worker shortage.
This is a shameless insult to the thousands of long-serving health care workers who were terminated under your Public Health Orders — fired, blacklisted, and abandoned. These workers were denied reinstatement even after mandates were lifted, while HEU refused to take a single grievance to arbitration. Instead, HEU leadership protected the failures of Adrian Dix, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and Premier David Eby’s NDP government — utterly betraying their own membership.
Now, after sacrificing their own members and deepening a housing crisis, HEU leadership has the gall to blame Ottawa? Spare us the hypocrisy.
Politics, Personal Gain, and Abandonment of Workers
Rather than fighting for reinstatement or defending the rights of health care workers:
The truth is, this isn’t about immigration policy. It’s about a failure of leadership — both at HEU and in the BC NDP government. Together, they chose political expediency over loyalty, transparency, and accountability.
British Columbians now suffer:
Premier Eby and HEU Leadership — you own this. No amount of finger-pointing at Ottawa will erase the trail of betrayal that starts with your government and its union allies.
How HEU Leaders Abused Members' Money
HEU’s so-called Political Education & Political Action Fund has been twisted into a personal slush fund for a few self-serving executives.
The HEU Constitution caps political spending at $375,000 over two years. Yet according to Elections BC, HEU spent $470,401.04 on advertising alone — breaching the constitutional limit by at least $95,401.04, not counting hidden costs like political committee salaries, meaning the real overspending likely exceeds $100,000–$200,000.
This is a direct violation of the HEU Constitution.
This is an abuse of trust.
Instead of using political funds to protect members — fighting anti-union legislation, defending health care, protecting workers — HEU leadership bet everything on one political party (NDP) despite the lessons of 2004, when political revenge devastated union members.
Why gamble with members’ futures?
Why violate spending rules?
Why prioritize political climbing over real advocacy?
HEU leadership’s reckless strategy and personal ambitions are clear:
Despite donating more money to the NDP than all other unions combined, HEU members receive fewer protections and benefits than members of other unions.
Time for Real Accountability and Reform Members have the right — and the duty — to demand:
HEU was built to protect workers — not to serve as a political machine for the NDP.
British Columbians deserve better. HEU members deserve better. It’s time to take back our union, rebuild trust, and restore the fundamental purpose of worker representation.
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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